LAHORE, May 23: While President Asif Ali Zardari is yet to sign an ordinance introducing a Rs152 billion ‘mini-budget’, the PPP has turned its guns on the caretaker government for taking what it calls an “unconstitutional” step at the behest of “someone”.

“The caretaker set-up under the constitution cannot introduce a mini-budget. Only a parliament elected by the people of Pakistan can levy taxes. General sales tax can only be levied in consultations with the provincial governments and the Council of Common Interests is the right forum for the purpose,” PPP’s information secretary Qamar Zaman Kaira told Dawn on Thursday.

He said the mandate of the caretaker government was to assist the Election Commission in holding fair, free and transparent elections and facilitate the democratic transition and run day-to-day affairs of the state. It should not take such decisions when an elected government is about to assume responsibilities within days.

“I fail to understand this move of the caretakers. It is tantamount to crossing the limits set by the constitution,” Mr Kaira said.

Asked whether or not President Zardari should sign the ordinance, he said: “Technically, the president is bound to sign the ordinance. The whole responsibility lies with the caretaker government for introducing a controversial mini-budget of Rs152 billion.”

He said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry should take notice of this constitutional violation. The Supreme Court had taken notice and suspended the transfers and postings made by the interim government and it should also look into this matter, he said. Asked if the step had been taken to provide a ‘cushion’ to the incoming PML-N government, Mr Kaira said: “I don’t want to name anyone, but one thing is for sure that there is something fishy in the hasty move by the caretakers as the new (PML-N) government is ready to take the charge in a week or so.”

PML-N leader Tariq Azeem was of the opinion that it was the constitutional right of the president to promulgate an ordinance. When asked if the PML-N had any objection to the caretakers’ move to introduce the mini-budget, he said: “We have no objection.” But he was quick to add that it (PML-N) would see if the caretakers had exceeded their authority.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar told Dawn that the president had not yet signed the ordinance.

A senior PPP leader was of the opinion that the president could delay the ordinance for 30 days and also raise certain objections. “Why the president did not immediately return the summary about mini-budget back to the caretakers? I think this question has the answer,” the PPP leader said.